The House voted 413-2 to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., after a House Ethics Committee concluded he engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers. Committee Chairman Rep. Michael Guest said the case did not involve quid pro quo sexual harassment but that Edwards’ pattern of behavior created a hostile work environment, citing lavish gifts, comments about appearance and dress, notes expressing affection, and invitations to intimate dinners and vacations. Edwards apologized to the two former aides and to his wife and family but denied he committed sexual harassment and rejected the committee’s recommendation; he and Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., cast the only no votes. Speaker Mike Johnson met with Edwards briefly before the vote, and Edwards later called the investigation “very much akin to a Russian show trial.” The censure registers the House’s deep disapproval without expelling a member; Edwards is the 29th lawmaker in House history to be censured. The case comes amid a broader, bipartisan review this year aimed at making Capitol Hill a safer workplace for women.
